Wide Open
by Shizuku Tsukishima749
Summary: When Superboy accidentally injures Robin during training, the Boy Wonder brushes it off.  But Batman won't let this go so easily. Two-Shot.
1. Wide Open

_A/N: _This was originally meant to be a short oneshot that dealt with Bruce warning Robin to be careful of Superboy after an accident during training. However, instead of glossing over the little details and making this far too short for my tastes (my fics usually have to be more than three pages for me to be satisfied), I decided to really get into what a Batman-Robin mission could be like: thus turning this into a two-shot. This eemingly random second part of the first chapter _does _serve a purpose in the story, so _please _don't get mad if this seems like a non sequitur!

**Again** with the 'never written this character (Black Mask) before' thing, so please don't be too angry if I get him wrong! Thanks! (And tell me how to improve as well, if you would!)

Also, I saw a few other authors with this idea, and for a while I honestly thought it was cool, but was wary of its plausibility until I realized how truly emotionally unstable Superboy is. That's when I decided to get on the small bandwagon and write my own version of Bruce-Robin-Superboy protectiveness!

And I truly apologize for the fact that some parts of this crime (in the chapter) may seem cliche, but understand that when I originally wrote this I was crunched for time, and when I read it over while re-editing just now it seemed like an appropriate ending to me! XD Also, I know Black Mask's False Face Society exists on New Earth, but I figured it might as well exist on Earth-16 as well.

This chapter also references two of my favorite episodes of "The Batman": Season 4, Episode 6, "Strange New World"; and Season 5, Episode 6, "Joker Express."

And **yes**, I _did _make up a new word for Robin: "'nique," which is the opposite of 'unique' and means unoriginal.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. Cartoon Network and the writers, etc., do. I only dearly wish I did._

* * *

><p><strong>Wide Open<strong>

When Batman steps through the doorway to Mount Justice during the early morning hours to retrieve Robin for a mission run in Gotham, the very air tells him that something is off.

Then, the boy emerges, and he notices on sight: the way his protégé breathes a little lighter and winces otherwise unnoticeably when he stretches or moves his chest the wrong way.

Young Justice hasn't had any missions in two days, and Robin was fine when he left home yesterday. Whatever it is, it's happened within the last twelve hours.

But Batman won't say anything. At least, not yet. Even if this is one of the rare times that Robin wants to keep something to himself for a while, they both know the Dark Knight will find out eventually.

Bottom line being, the Bird is better off talking.

So as long as this new development doesn't affect Robin's escapades as the Boy Wonder, Batman will let the child have his way.

For now.

* * *

><p>The one good thing about Black Mask: fights with him are always interesting.<p>

This time around, it's a bank heist with hostages (the fifteen consumers and tellers that had been inside the building when he'd struck), not to mention the seemingly infinite members of his armed gang, the False Face Society, guarding the place inside and out. Oh, yeah, and Black Mask has already entered the vault.

So, in all, pretty whelming for five a.m. on a Saturday.

Robin grins beside his stony-faced mentor, following Batman's lead as he shoots his grappling gun and sails over the dark Gotham streets to land soundlessly on top of the Gotham City Bank's roof.

He feels the Masked Manhunter's gaze on him, and when the warm, protective sensation fades he doesn't have to look to know the man's gone. His smile grows.

This is the way it's always been—mutual trust in each other's abilities, while protective impulse dictates watching each other's back.

And neither half of the Dynamic Duo would change a thing.

The boy, knowing what he has to do, takes off for the bank vault. The thug-surrounded hostages are huddled at its entrance, and it doesn't take much to figure out what that means: if either Bat tries to get near the vault, tries to attack the villain inside, the hostages won't make it out alive.

So, just like Batman taught him, he goes for the next best thing:

The surveillance room.

Truthfully, the five men guarding it are easier to take out than he expects.

"Didn't your Mothers ever tell you it's not safe to stick your fingers where they don't belong?"

Delivering a harsh kick to one's face as he springs down upon them, the Boy Wonder flips backward, cartwheels, and tucks-and-rolls out of the way of the barrage of raining bullets.

Getting in close, he sweeps the feet out from under two of them and kicks their guns away, vaulting over them to avoid their electrically-charged sticks before karate-chopping them in the back of their necks.

The next attempts to take the boy from behind, but his creeping skills are sloppy for one of the False Facers (a new recruit, perhaps?), and Robin disappears and reappears behind him quicker than the man can blink. A solid double-fisted blow to the back of the head, and the henchman falls.

Robin looks up to assess the last two standing. Wearing almost identical white masks, these goons are bigger and stronger than their companions, and they seem a lot more menacing as well if the way one of them firms his grip on his rifle and the other cracks his knuckles is anything to go by.

But they are _also_ the only things standing between him and the surveillance room, and he _needs_ that room to gain control of the vault. Once he does that, he can help Batman save those innocent people.

The thirteen-year-old only cackles gleefully.

"Guess you guys couldn't afford plastic surgery, huh? Gotta say, the masks are _definitely _an improvement!"

The men say nothing. Rather, the slightly taller one charges Robin head-on, the other covering him with open fire.

Vaguely reminded of his and Batman's fights with Bane, the teen waits until the very last second to push off of the goon's chest with one foot and then kick him in the chin with both feet in succession.

The older male reels back at the raw power in the small body, but doesn't let that stop him as he rushes Robin once again.

The gunman—Big Boy's cousin—shoots the gun ineffectively at best, what with the bulk of 'Bane, Jr.' taking up most of the hallway. The second man is forced to shoot as accurately as possible over his cousin's head and simply hope they hit their target.

But Robin dodges them as well as can be expected, hissing when one gets lucky and grazes his arm and seizing when another severs a lock of black hair by his ear.

As for the henchman charging him, he's having a much harder time laying more than five (badly-aimed) punches on the spritely acrobat. Reaching into his utility belt in midair, Robin throws a batarang the thug's way, and while the adult manages to dodge it, his triumphant smirk vanishes when he realizes that the Boy Wonder has slipped past him.

The grappling hook Robin discharges digs into the air vent above their heads and pulls him upward, getting him out of the gunman's immediate line of fire. Flipping head-over-heels effortlessly and bracing his feet on the vent, Batman's protégé expertly presses pressure points along the rifleman's arm until he loses all feeling and drops the gun. Swinging back on the sturdy cable, Robin uses his momentum now to land a two-footed kick in the man's center of mass. The goon doubles over in pain, quieting only when Robin enacts mercy and presses two fingers along the man's hairline in order to knock him out.

Pounding footsteps and a roar from behind shift his attention back to 'Bane, Jr.,' but Robin is not fazed in the least. He stays right where he is and turns to the assailant, who in turn becomes unsettled at the devilish expression on the Boy Wonder's face.

He finally understands, however, when the batarang he thought he'd escaped before comes hurtling back to nail him between the eyes. He flies back, skidding on the hall's tile like a rock as he comes down. Before all goes black, his glaring slits for eyes lock on the snickering partner of the Batman.

Recalling his grappling hook, Robin slaps imaginary dust from his hands. Turning to the security-coded door at last, he hacks it within seconds and slips inside. Running over to the main computer, he takes just under a minute to break through the security and work his way into the vault-control mainframe.

This is it. Batman is just waiting for his signal, for the tell-tale sign. Eyes locking on to the top-right corner of the screen belonging to the camera closest to the vault, he spies a barely-there pointed-black shape. Others would think this is nothing, but to the Bird it's everything.

Batman feels his stare, he knows.

Pressing the key that will cause the vault to close, he high-tails it out of there without a backward glance.

The fight's already begun.

When he gets there, Batman is kicking butt as usual. All of the henchmen who had been surrounding the innocents are incapacitated, and nearly half of Black Mask's other henchmen are out cold on the floor.

Nearly all of the hostages have been escorted out of the bank under cover of the Gotham police. Robin gets the last two, herding a terrified woman and her crying seven-year-old son out safely out of the building prior to rocketing back to his mentor's side.

And though Robin can't honestly say he didn't expect this from the crime lord, this new development doesn't make the vigilantes' jobs any easier (but then again, where's the fun in that?).

Somehow Black Mask managed to slip out of the vault at the last minute, not even caring about the six men he left inside. Now he stands perfectly composed in the middle of a ring of his still-standing mask-wearing lackeys, hands formally clasped behind his back as always. He laughs condescendingly at his enemy and his young partner as they battle his reserve men.

"Refreshing, isn't it, Batman? A mere bank heist after the Joker and Strange's latest schemes?" he asks humorously, of course referring to the Joker's express-train-laughing-gas-blow-Gotham disaster and Strange's toxin that had warped the Dynamic Duo's perception of the world.

Batman, driving his elbow into yet another assailant's stomach before sending him face-first into the floor with a powerful foot to the back, growls low in his throat.

"Hardly. A crime's a crime, Black Mask. _You_ would know that better than most."

Robin laughs, ramming his heel into his attacker's nose and grabbing his arm in order to flip him over onto his back.

"Seriously! Besides the Joker, I think _you've_ been behind some of the top crimes this side of the Batcave!"

If he weren't wearing a mask, the crime boss most surely would have been smiling.

"Glad to see_ someone _appreciates my efforts, Bird Boy! Now, how about you and Mr. All-Work-and-No-Play try this on for size!"

The building starts to shake beneath their feet, and when the halls begin to fill with a colorful smoke an instant later Batman and his protégé slap on their gas masks.

The deserted men in the vault start screaming and crying hysterically, and two pairs of light-aligned covered eyes meet.

Scarecrow's fear gas.

And yet Black Mask's haughty voice penetrates all through. "I hear fear's a _killer_!"

Batman and Robin's ears prick. Wait… Is he…getting _quieter_? _Farther away_?

Leaping into action, each tackles his side of the room in heading for the vault. If Black Mask gets away, who _knows _what he'll do with all of that money?

A large hole has been made in the vault door, another in the floor, and over five million dollars in gold bricks is missing.

"A drill-tunnel?" Robin scoffs, brows knitting together. "That is _so _nique!"

The smallest flash of an amused smile crosses his mentor's face before he turns serious again. "Let's go!"

Dropping down into the hole with his Bird just behind, Batman taps the side of his cowl to switch to night-vision mode as Robin does the same.

Following the tracks and sounds of the massive drill Black Mask was using to make his getaway, they come into contact with it soon enough. While the machine is surprisingly unprotected, they refuse to let down their guards. Knowing the mastermind behind this operation, this will be harder than it looks.

Climbing onto the machine's back, Robin works on sabotaging the drill from the outside as Batman goes for the criminal within.

Cutting out the drill-hatch with his miniature laser, Batman is thrown back when Black Mask punches upward from the inside, sending the not-yet-removed hatch and both of his fists into the Bat's face.

At the drill's back, Robin strives to work quicker. He knows well that his mentor is fully capable of taking care of himself, but he wants to be at his side all the same. Finally, with the drill's oil supply pooling out the back, the rear wheels are severed from its whole.

The drill comes to a jolting halt, nearly throwing the boy and the two enemies off. They catch themselves, though, and Robin flits to the Caped Crusader's side.

Perfectly in sync, master and apprentice combine and complement each other's attacks, one after the other, Black Mask hardly getting a blow in edgewise.

It is only when the man draws a loaded semiautomatic pistol that things get a little more serious.

Stepping back cautiously, Bat and Bird share the shortest of glances. A grim smile is put forth by the boy, a more severe expression being taken on by the adult, and there is nothing to mar this plea.

_Be careful_.

With an imperceptible nod on both sides, both leap to opposite edges of the drill and charge Black Mask. The villain, counting on the Dark Knight to stop with the life of his child-partner on the line, aims the gun at Robin.

But he does not consider the connection between the two.

Father and son's eyes lock, blue with blue beneath their masks. Trust, confidence, and love in the younger's; protectiveness, reassurance, and love in the older's.

The Dynamic Duo is for always.

Twin battle cries erupt as the two keep course, Robin and Batman consecutively dodging the bullets launched their way. The Dark Knight wrestles the gun away from Black Mask in record time, and mentor and protégé take this opportunity to land well-placed punches and kicks anywhere they can while sustaining little more than moderate damage to themselves.

Finally, forced to the edge of the drill, the mask-wearer takes a swift, powerful kick to the ribs and head from each member of the Bat family, followed by a nice electric shock thanks to his own charge-stick.

Falling backward, the madman hits the rightfully unforgiving, boulder-ridden ground cranium-first.

All goes black.

Breathing heavily, Batman rests a gloved hand on Robin's back. Lifting his head, the Boy Wonder smiles up at his mentor, partner, and adoptive Father.

"Is it just me, or are you _totally _whelmed by this aster?"

Batman allows the barest of smiles and chuckles to escape as he ruffles the child's raven hair.

"So it would seem."

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, as always! The next chapter will be the main event, promise! (I already have the beginning-middle-ish written!)<p>

(Also, FFN's doing that weird separate-word-connector thing again, so if you see any of that, know that it's not me! XD)


	2. Out of Our Hands

_A/N: _This chapter has been in the making for a few days now, and considering I had to rewrite parts (which I _never _have to do, so that was a first...) and have had family visiting... XD I did the best I could with this final chapter, especially doing my best to keep everyone in character! I'll look it over when I have time on Friday, but as for tonight and tomorrow (family again and an A.P. Physics test to study for), I'll have to politely run away screaming! XD That said, please tell me if you see any glaring grammatical/characterization errors!

Thanks _so much _to all of the reviews, favs, and alerts to this fic! Gosh, all of you were _fantastic_! I _love _you all! I never imagined a two-shot, of all things, could get so much attention!

(And I re-edited the first chapter - frankly, I like this version better, even though I didn't change much of great consequence - so...just to let you know! Thanks to those who caught things I didn't!)

**_Notification:_**

_Italics: _Flashback

* * *

><p>Just like that, everything's over.<p>

Black Mask and his goons are back in Arkham.

Commissioner Gordon commends Batman and Robin for their efforts.

The Dynamic Duo makes it back to the Batcave, where Alfred is waiting for them faithfully as always.

It is when Bruce begins tending to Dick's wounds that things start to strain.

The bullet-graze has already been taken care of, but there are still the several punches delivered by (and Bruce cannot help but smile grimly here) 'Bane, Jr.' Peeling away the top half of his Robin suit, Dick does not even grimace at the black and blue discolorations covering his chest. He's had far worse, after all.

Bruce presses tentative fingers to his adoptive son's chest, gently pressing around each bruise to ensure that no ribs have been bruised, cracked, or broken. He breathes a little lighter in finding that nothing of the like is ailing the boy.

But then he recalls his observations earlier this morning, remembers the shortness of breath and pained winces, and his eyes shoot back to examine Dick's chest for a second time.

Sure enough, there is an extra bruise among the others.

A much darker, much uglier _sixth_.

Just as he'd suspected. Something had happened while Robin had been away.

For a moment, he is angry that neither Black Canary nor Red Tornado said anything. But then, the anger fades when he understands that it probably wasn't their decision.

Knowing Robin's power over Black Canary, who for all of her strength and could-be fire is still a woman with motherly impulses, Robin had begged her, made her swear on her honor as one of the few in the League to know his and Batman's identities, not to tell the Big Bat.

As for the android of the Justice League, there was nothing to stop _him_ from telling the Batman. Nothing except his sense of duty to the mentor-apprentice code, that is. Besides, he knew from experience that Batman would notice the difference in his protégé on sight and take care of it in due time.

Reaching forward to perform the same careful examination on this bruise that he had on the others, Bruce is surprised when a small hand shoots out to clamp tightly around his wrist. Looking up into Dick's maskless blue eyes, the secret-Batman sees that they are filled with both fierce determination and fear.

And for all that the boy has become in these four years since coming into Bruce's life, for all that he begs with those magnificent baby-blues, for all that it pains his adoptive Father to have those angel-eyes close tightly and tear away from his own...Bruce feels he has no choice but to unleash the infamous Batglare and wait for the truth to come.

For it has long been established that there is no lying to either Bruce Wayne or the Batman.

"It…it's not as bad as it looks," Dick murmurs quietly, absently feeling out the hours-old bruise and letting his fingers dance across it almost sacredly. "Rib's just bruised, that's all." His attempt to shoot the man a smile is pathetic at best. "Promise."

And though this assures Bruce a little, it does naught to answer his silent, much more demanding question.

But this inquiry, for one reason or another, is one that Dick appears immensely reluctant to answer.

Here, then, is the most difficult part.

For no matter how much Bruce has come to love this boy—and dear Lord above has he ever—this is something he must do.

Setting a strong hand on one of Dick's shoulders, he takes the thirteen-year-old's chin in his gentle, yet firm grip. The child, having looked away again shortly after seeing Bruce's dissatisfaction, is forced to meet like blue eyes.

"_What_ _happened_, _Dick_?" It is no more than a whisper—a dark one, but a whisper all the same—but nevertheless it sends terrible tremors down the teenager's spine.

Protégé and adoptive son of one of the greatest superheroes in the universe he may be, but Dick knows that even he will not be spared the consequences of declining anything asked in _that_ voice.

"It…it was an accident…" he stammers at last, eyes averted with stomach twisting as his fists clench until his knuckles turn white. "It…it happened during training yesterday…"

* * *

><p>"<em>All right! Superboy, Robin, you're up! Show us what you can do!" Black Canary orders, a small grin on her face as she folds her arms across her chest and stands back. Glancing over at the others, she can see the excitement written on their faces. This is one fight they've <em>all_ been itching to see._

_The pixie of the team wastes no time in flitting over to his side of the 'ring,' while his broody friend decides to take his time. Both of them getting into their fighting stances, the Bird can't keep the smirk off of his face._

"_You ready for this, Superboy? I've been waiting to kick your sorry Kryptonian butt all morning!" Robin chirps, blue eyes shining playfully behind his mask._

_His sparring partner merely huffs back, though the Boy Wonder swears he sees a smile there somewhere._

"_You haven't won yet." _

_The thirteen-year-old's beam just grows. "We'll see about that!" _

_And truly, no less than a moment later he has disappeared into the shadows, leaving only his signature eerie laugh echoing behind._

_The room falls silent. The observing occupants smile widely; they know how this game goes. _

_As well as strengthening his own combat skills (though most would argue that isn't possible), Robin always does his best to help whoever he's fighting hone her own skills. At this point, it would seem he's testing Superboy's supersight and superhearing._

_Taking in the room around him in a way only a Kryptonian can (clone or not), Superboy waits. _

_To the right he finds nothing but his other friends; to the left is Mount Justice's supercomputer, the kitchen, and the living room; behind him stands Black Canary, beyond her the 'door'; in front of him is Robin's vacant spot, the teammates' rooms, the secluded training room, the pool. _

_But no sign of Robin._

_When he goes off like this, Robin is not allowed to leave the ring's perimeter. With that in mind, if he's not below (the floor and bowels of the base rest there)…then he must be above!_

_Stepping back a few paces, the sixteen-year-old takes a running start prior to leaping upward. Hands securely wrapping around one of the thick, black steel rafters hidden in shadow, he uses his momentum to swing up and land on top of it in a sitting position. _

_Superboy is about to scan the area again, but reconsiders with a small, appreciative smile. Robin is trying to get him to use everything _but _his strength to find him; the least he can do is cooperate for the fun of it. Besides, he could use the practice._

_Closing his eyes, Superboy listens. He hears only the heartbeats and breathing of those he's come to love. _

_Kaldur's strong heart and calm breath; M'gann's spirited core and gentle wind; Wally's quick _thump, thump, thump!_ and equally rushed breathing; Black Canary's sound heartbeat and assuring breath._

_And then, he hears it._

_Just the slightest inkling, yes, but it's there, ready and waiting as the owner has much too much fun. A steady, calm heartbeat is the Boy Wonder's, jumps of excitement breaking in occasionally as the breathing pattern is nearly identical. This, adding to the fact that he swears_ _he can _feel_ the boy smiling…_

"_Found you!" Superboy shouts triumphantly, bright blue eyes snapping open. Spinning around quicker than most can blink, he is leaping toward Robin with arms outspread. _

_But Batman's protégé is smirking, has seen him coming for a while now. And now that he's close enough, can actually _see_, Superboy's eyes widen as Robin lets him find his footing before raising his collapsible bo-staff above his head._

_And yet the blow never comes (any other time, yes, but that is not the goal of this exercise). Instead, the Boy Wonder uses his staff to vault over Superboy and land safely on another rafter farther ahead. Turning back to the older teen with his usual joking grin, the mask-bearer waves him over. "Superboy, come on! You're falling behind, dude!" _

_The sixteen-year-old rises to meet the challenge head-on and bounds after the young ninja, tentatively using his breaking-through superspeed until he is just one step behind. He lunges forward to grab hold of Robin's foot, but his best friend twists around to face Superboy without warning._

_The older, taken aback for little more than a moment, has even then let too much time slip by. He keeps forgetting that Robin's been taught by the best, by the one man to whom time means the most. _

_But now it's too late. As Robin bends over backward and presses his foot to Superboy's chest, he takes a deep breath. _In the next instant, the acrobat whips upright and presses all of his weight onto that one foot while his other foot uses Superboy's shoulder as leverage to leap into the air. _ Spreading his cape in order to give the illusion of wings, the Bird grins almost reminiscently as he is suspended in midair for a few seconds. Taking this heart-pounding opportunity for what it is, he performs a triple somersault flawlessly out of impulse and __lands expertly on the horizontal beam farthest from the Kryptonian._

_There are whistles and cheers from down below, and Robin is beaming brighter than the others have ever seen him. He's in his element here somehow, Superboy realizes, just as he himself is in the heat of battle. At some point in the middle of all of this, Robin found his niche, his place where he is most high._

_The clone merely wipes the sweat from his brow and vows to push himself harder._

"_Hey!" The child jumps, something they've also never seen—_no one _can sneak up on Robin except the Batman!—and when he turns toward Superboy, the Kryptonian is nearly sure he sees a glint of something shining on his cheeks... But he pushes it aside for now. It's probably just sweat, and as for the boy's sudden distraction…Robin's used similar tactics before in order to help him learn to tell the innocent bystanders from those _pretending _to be. "Is our little Robin ready to take the plunge without a net?"_

_And here is where it all comes crashing down._

_Superboy sails through the air, reeling his fist back and sending it careening straight for Robin's chest. Inwardly, he knows the futility of this; Robin has _never _allowed a punch to land so easily! But it's another one of the games played between the clone and the Bird: something of a masochistic version of 'Chicken.' Besides, it's _fun_, and Robin's always trying to get Superboy to have more of that!_

_He's nearly on top of him now! He's _closing in_! He's mere feet away! Any second now…_any second_…!_

_But all at once, h__e _sees_. Something's _wrong_! Robin's…Robin's _not moving_ (Superboy has to strain his eyes to make sure he's even _breathing_), and _dear Krypton_, if the boy doesn't move _now_ and if Superboy doesn't _stop_…!_

_What were previously exalted cries now turn to horrified, panicked screams. Superboy has to think quickly (something Robin says the clone is good at, once his mind is clear and focused), and in doing so he probably saves his young best friend's life. _

_He turns to the right in midair, landing on the beam beside Robin at an awkward angle; he uncurls his fist so that the blow will be entirely comprised of his knuckles and the back of his hand. The force of the strike is still that of a wrecking ball, however, and the explosion of pain it brings in his chest breaks Robin from his reverie._

"Robin_!" numerous voices cry, mixing with the child's own startled yelp as he is thrown back and plummets downward. _

_He can see the ground from this position, and briefly he wonders if…if perhaps this is something of the last view his parents had the night everything changed… The sinking feeling in his stomach, the bile in his throat, the tears in his eyes, reminds him so much of that day, and something inside him jolts._

_Twisting a full one-hundred-eighty degrees while falling, he unearths his grappling hook, takes half a second to aim, and shoots. He recognizes the familiar pull as it wraps around one of the heavily-reinforced beams as though it's an extension of his very soul, and he uses the centripetal force afforded to save him._

_Collapsing to his knees the moment his feet are on solid ground once more, the child is greeted by the crushingly protective arms of Superboy. They are descending to Mount Justice's floor at a gentle rate an instant later (he smiles faintly; M'gann...), and he buries his face in Superboy's shoulder._

_Now _that _had been close…_

* * *

><p>"S-see, Bruce?" Dick whispers shakily. Eyes tightly closed, his head is downcast and his hands are clasped firmly in his lap. His complexion has long been colorless. "It wasn't—"<p>

He stops himself, biting his lip. He was _going _to say it wasn't that bad, but really…who is the secret-Boy Wonder _fooling_? _Especially _the Batman? He sighs heavily, head hanging ever lower and hands rising to rid his cheeks of tears.

What Superboy'd said…it was the exact thing his real Father, John Grayson, had asked him just before his first live performance. Dick had kept it close to his heart ever since, and to hear it once again in such a different, yet somehow same setting, to hear it now that the original bearer and his wife had been gone from the young acrobat's life for _just _over four years…

"_Richard_," the thirteen-year-old snaps up at the sound of his name gracing his adoptive Father's lips, the man's soothing, solid voice and visage distorted via the ringing in Dick's ears and the wall of tears before his eyes, "I need you to calm down for me. Can you do that?"

The younger's blue eyes widen. Bruce only speaks to him this way when he's truly bursting over, when nothing else can break through to him. A large, warm hand comes to cup Dick's still somewhat-damp cheek, and the boy leans in to the touch eagerly, gladly drinking in the comfort the warm appendage and its owner bring. Raising his own hand to encase Bruce's, he squeezes gratefully.

"I'm okay, Bruce," he asserts, his small smile shifting into a cheeky smirk. "I've had plenty worse than this, old man."

His mentor hums quietly, acknowledging and darkly thoughtful at once as he presses his face into Dick's palm and breathes in the familiar smells of combat that have yet to leave the youthful, somehow soft-calloused skin. Kissing his son's palm tentatively, Bruce encloses the tiny hand with his other as well, gripping once more before letting the tangle of hands fall between them.

This is the first time he's tried that calming method, one exhumed from a deeply-treasured memory of his parents, and for a moment Bruce is anxious. The teen's heartbeat has quickened, and his breathing has grown lighter and shakier without the help of his injuries.

But it seems he has nothing to fear, for in the next moment his son throws his arms around his neck. It takes no more than a moment for him to get over his shock and enwrap the child in his own great arms and hold him closely; this is not the reaction he expected in response to such a small action, yet Bruce cannot say he is entirely surprised. After all, the secret-Dark Knight has never shared anything so heart-close with his young partner before.

They stay like this for many a stretched moment, breathing each other in and basking in the glory that is one another. They have been partners in crime-fighting for so long now that at times they forget the weaknesses and limitations they have as humans, how good it feels to bond like this, how enriching it is to feel the heartbeat and life-heat of the one they love the most alongside their own.

As Dick reluctantly removes himself from Bruce's loving hold at last, a tiny grin is on his face. It fades, however, the second he remembers the driving force behind this whole conversation.

Peering up at the Wayne man, his expression is worried and fairly protective. "Superboy won't—I mean, he isn't in trouble, is he? It was all _my _fault, and he did his best to save me even then! And how was _he_ supposed to know the significance of what he said?" Batman had always taught Robin to be on his guard no matter what, seeing as anything can happen at any time. And the secret-Boy Wonder _refuses _to let his best friend take the fall for this lapse in form! "After it happened, he—he looked so _sorry_, so _guilty_…! He kept hovering and apologizing—he _cried_, Bruce!" The man's brows shoot to his hairline. "He's _never _cried before…!" Dick's own quiet voice cracks and wavers here, and his mentor rests a supportive hand on the teen's knee. "He would _never _hurt me _or _the others! He _loves _us, and we love him." It could be the adult's imagination, but the secret-Batman can _swear_ that suddenly his adoptive son is sitting up straighter, is holding his head higher. "_I _love him, Bruce. He's my best friend, and I won't let you hurt him."

There is an impenetrable silence here. Dick waits for his partner's response.

But really, what can Bruce _say_?

His son is correct in every way: Superboy _didn't_ know about Dick's past, so he couldn't have known that he was stealing words straight from the boy's deceased Father's lips; he _had _done his best to keep the child from injury; and while his own reservations about the clone had more or less eroded away over the past several months, he couldn't deny that the Kryptonian truly did seem to hold his teammates on a pedestal and vice versa.

This is a matter of the heart and soul, indeed.

All in all, the Father is proud of his son. He's always taught him to stand up for himself, to believe in whatever it is he's fighting for. And if Richard has ever believed in anything as strongly or stronger than this, Bruce cannot pinpoint it.

"I know, Dick," he concedes come a moment more. "I know. I've seen the proof with my own eyes. He will not be penalized. He probably saved your life." Robin snickers inwardly; that's just what he'd said… "However..." he gestures to the lead-lined pouch on the child's utility belt, which had been restocked as per Young Justice's formation, "…remember our discussion."

Dick's face turns grave with intense gravity, pale and a tinge green as he nods his head slowly, swallowing thickly and squeezing his abruptly teary eyes shut. He remembers that early morning after Cadmus well, how disgusted, enraged, and horror-struck he'd been. He'd been given the Kryptonite…had to accept the reality that he was quite literally holding his new friend's death in his hands…

Recalling this is made even more difficult now, what with the deep friendship he and Superboy have forged since the team's birth.

"B-Bruce…?" he croaks softly, looking down to blink away the tears prior to glancing up at his mentor. "Do you…_really_ think I'll ever have to use it? Against _Conner_?"

The child knows he's being naïve. He knows well that some situation might arise one day in which he will have no choice _but _to use the deadly weapon against his best friend. After all, Clark and Bruce have found themselves in such a circumstance. And _more _than once, at that.

Bruce recognizes this, too. But the boy has been through so much in his short life, has known so much heartache in his robbed-of-innocence world, and if a little bit of compromising hope is all his son needs to keep going, to keep fighting, to keep _living _his life as fully as he does now…

Somehow, Bruce doesn't think that's such a big price to pay.

"I pray not, Dick," he breathes. "I pray not."

* * *

><p><em>AN: _Hopefully the ending is all right! And just to clarify, Superboy and Robin are _best friends _in this and nothing more (that goes for _all _of the teammates, for _all _of my fics...whether for this fandom or any other - sorry, but I don't read or write slash...)!

Also, while I know Dick can perfectly perform a quadruple somersault, I felt that would basically be a dead-giveaway to his friends (the ones who live on land and are from Earth and were not in a pod until a few months ago...that is...) as to his identity, seeing as the Flying Graysons were some of the _select few in the world _who could do this, if not the only ones.

Plus, the superspeed thing...I saw that in another story and felt like a complete idiot for not remembering that Superman has superspeed! XD So whoever's story that was (_really good_...I'll remember eventually...) _thanks _for the reminder! So Supey's only just discovering it here... XP

Thanks so much for reading!


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